Espedair Street by Iain Banks.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Personal Studies Essay - Espedair Street by Iain Banks

"Two days ago I decided to kill myself." This extreme quotation is the opening line in the novel 'Espedair Street' by the Scottish novelist, Iain Banks. The book is based around the life of a famous rockstar and, due to the first person narrative, gives an in-depth insight into the troubles and joys, before, during and after his reign of fame. I originally selected this text because I found the blurb very intriguing and thought the modern humorous storyline would appeal to me. I later discovered that the story was set primarily in the south west of Scotland, so I found it enjoyable to be able to relate to the various locations and the colloquial dialect used by the characters.

In this essay I am going to highlight the techniques that Banks has used, to give a deeper meaning into the quite conventional storyline. I have chosen to concentrate on the narrative structure developed in the novel, the setting and the characterisation of the main character. I will also indicate the ways that these techniques affect the presentation of the theme throughout the text.

The writer has